Metaphor: Mom, my depression is a shapeshifter, One day it's as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear, The next it's the bear. The line is comparing her depression to a firefly on days when it´s not as bad, and then the palm of a bear on the days she struggles.

The theme of this poem is trying to explain something to someone who might now quite understand you. ¨Mom says, "Try counting sheep¨ But my mind can only count reasons to stay awake. So I go for walks, but my stuttering kneecaps clank like silver spoons held in strong arms with loose wrists.¨ This line states that the mother is trying to give ideas on ways to help her daughter, but her daughter is saying that nothing helps. The simple parent; child misconception of the parent not understanding the severity of the childś needs.

Alliteration, Father and Mother are used multiple times

Assertive, he feels very strongly about this topic and he is very strong willed to have the judges see why he spelled father the way he did - Adam

Metaphor: The speaker says that fathers are master gardeners. He says that fathers don’t just leave their seed alone, they perfect every little growth and leaf of the seed instead. “One mistake they’d never make is abandoning their seed you see fathers Are master gardeners they tend to every leaf removing the weeds “

The message the speaker is trying to convey is that single mothers are fathers as much as a father could be.

Metaphor when the speaker says, “Growing their love on us the best way they know how, like my father” saying how you need love to grow properly, and that is what their father did for them.

The message of the poem is that the meaning of a father can be different for each person.

• Avery A.

A literary device I saw Metaphor was “like my father, my father lived a deadly nightmare so I can live my dreams". His father struggled so he could have a good life.

Personification - “Mom, each night Insomnia sweeps me up in his arms.” In this quote the narrator used Insomnia like it was a person and acted like it was picking her up with his arms.

Point of view, “Their Menstrual 2 jobs 2 kids and life on a unicycle and it looked something like. This, breastfeeding with one arm, phone on the shoulder, cooking with the. Other arm and cleaning with one leg and tying tying sneakers with their teeth” This example is given us a point of view of what it was like for his mother and the hard work and mental toughness she had to go through.

Be grateful for all you have because some people are less fortunate.

Metaphor: " Fathers

are master gardeners they tend to every leaf removing the weeds".

The theme is to show as long ass you have someone in your life who deeply cares about you and they aren't your birth mother/father it doesn't matter because they still are the reason you are who you are.

Metaphor: "My happy is a high fever that will break." The speaker is saying that her happiness will break and she will not always be happy.

The theme of the poem is that even when you explain something or after you explain something to someone they still might not understand and then you don't understand. "I will never truly know everywhere I have been, Mom still doesn't understand, Mom can't you see, that neither do I." This is saying how even after explaining it to her mom she still did not understand.

Metaphor: "One day it's as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear, The next it is the bear. "

I think the message of this poem is just because someone seems okay and or doesn't outwardly speak of their feeling doesn't always mean you can assume they are happy

Metaphor: She is under so much stress that she said “My mouth a boneyard of teeth broken from biting down on themselves.”

Personification ¨But my depression always drags me back to my bed¨

Her depression makes her just want to lay in bed.

Listen to your loved ones. People don't pay attention to the people around them, ignoring if they are struggling.

There is a simile when the writer says “One day it's as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear” Showing how her depression can change every day.

The theme to me is that opening up is a good thing and that no matter what life is worth living. Also, I think the theme is talking about how being open to others can be something that helps them through their hard times.

“the sky is the limit planting kisses on our cheeks, hugs on our backs” - Personification, a sky cannot “plant” kisses on a human's cheek.

Faith, “Around here my father is sitting right there, and I love her”, how he was raised by a single mother.

Imagery + ¨They ring in my ears like clumsy church bells, reminding me I am sleepwalking on an ocean of happiness that I cannot baptize myself in.¨ It is referring to her not being able to be happy but she gets close at times.

Smile + ¨my stuttering kneecaps clank like silver spoons¨ Her knees are being compared to spoons clanking together.

there are a lot of metaphors like "Anxiety is the cousin visiting from out of town that depression felt obligated to invite to the party"

the theme is that depression is a difficult challenge to overcome.

Metaphor- he says that the fathers have to balance their lives like a unicycle.

Theme- Some people don’t have the same family life as others. That some people have a different depiction of people than you do.

Metaphor she is under so much anxiety and stress she said my mouth is a boneyard of broken teeth

Metaphor: “Mom, my depression is a shapeshifter.” The speaker uses this quote in the beginning of the poem to introduce the readers to how they feel, connecting their depression as to if it was a shapeshifter, meaning it changes all the time.

The poem’s theme is to tell people that it is ok to not know how you feel, even though you know you don’t feel ok. This poem brings awareness to depression and how people truly feel when they do have depression. We see this at the end of the poem when the speaker says, “Mom still doesn't understand. Mom, can't you see, that neither can I.”

Hyperbole-”This, breastfeeding with one arm, phone on the shoulder, cooking with the Other arm and cleaning with one leg and tying sneakers with their teeth.” this is an exaggeration because most of these things are not literal.

The poem's theme is that we don’t give enough thanks to mothers and sometimes they must step up and be both parents at once.

Metaphor. The speaker says, “ Fathers balanced their menstrual 2 jobs 2 kids and life on a unicycle” This is a metaphor of the single mother having to do everything and how they have to balance their lives.

The message of the poem is that your parents will always care for you and love you unconditionally.

Imagery. “It looked something like this, breastfeeding with one arm, phone on the shoulder, cooking with the other arm and cleaning with one leg and tying sneakers with their teeth.” In this quote the speaker uses imagery to help listeners visualize what fathers (mothers) have to go through.

"To spell father and where I am from in my life father is and has been and always will be spelled M-O-T-H-E-R... Cause what Webster says, means nothing around here, around here my father is sitting right there, and I love her." Everyone’s life story is different, don’t assume everyone has had a normal life.

Personification: “ I look at the Master's eyes. his eyes are saying everything's going to be okay.”  The author gives the eyes human-like qualities by saying they are speaking and everything will be alright. The author incorporates this to show how the speaker felt when he looked around, and everyone was arranged by the simplicity of the word he was given and how when he looked in the Master's spelling eyes, he felt a sudden rush of calmness and it was at ease.

The message of this poem is that your parents are always there for you, no matter what is going on, and they will always love you.

Metaphor: “One mistake they’d never make is abandoning their seed. You see, fathers are master gardeners.” This is a metaphor because the poet is comparing a father to a gardener.

The theme is that not everyone goes through the same struggles and sees everything from another point of view and might not have the same idea as someone else.

Simile: "One day it's as small as a firefly in the palm of a bear and the next it's as big as the bear." This compares the sizes of her depression as sometimes it can be small like a firefly, or large, like a bear.

I think the message is to show awareness of depression and mental health.

Simile: "My mouth is like a boneyard of teeth broken from biting down on themselves." Here, the speaker talks about how their mouth doesn't speak the words they need to, it only causes harm rather than the help they need.

one literary element is Hyperbole because she talks about being trapped in her own house and her own head.

The theme is about opening up on what you are going through with others even if they don't know how to help you just talking to them could help.